A Good Handful, Great New Zealand poems about Sex. Edited by Stu Bagby, Auckland University Press. $27.99. Pbk.
Sophocles said once, about sex: “……..a mad and savage master”. In the Blurb it says “Sex… there's a lot of it about”. And true, there's a lot either explicit or inferred, in these poems, carefully selected to make sure you enjoy the reading of them either with relish, or quiet enjoyment. The blurb on the flap quotes some of the more memorable statement but a closer look at the rest of them can show nicer ones. I'll leave the ones on the flap to you, the eventual reader. Fleur Adcock chats about crane flies and Volkswagen engines being in the back, then finishes: “It looks easy enough. Let's try it”. Rachel McAlpine is very adventurous and finishes 'Burning the Liberty Bodice' with “stop / this is risky / better put on your clothes”. Alistair Paterson seems to more than an inkling as to what it's all about, too. It's delicately and amusingly put with a surprise at the ending, of 'Jennie Roach Love All The Boys In The World' (see the last line for clarification of that). Glenn Colquhoun is nice, too -a play on the 'word of god' irreverently transposed to sexual things….. An Iain Sharp is delightful in from 'The Poets'. Tony Beyer makes it all sound far too easy…. Splendid writing.. Louis Johnston was always a master at this sort of writing - I remember his long poem, 'Onion' which I published years ago. Anne Kennedy makes heavy work of it, but that's okay. Hone Tuwhare chimes in with only four lines, of the purest poetry. With Rhona Vickoce, it is “girls can do girls do” (with other girls, in her case). David Mitchell is not to be left out here and I think it is a shame he somehow didn't continue with his good work. Emma Neale displays some fine eroticism - see it for yourself. R.A.K. Mason has an oldy worldy attitude: “is not all her good / held in her thighs”. C.K. Stead and Charles Brasch weigh in heavily for their bout, but entertaining enough, for sure. All in all, a fascinating and well-compiled book by an experienced editor, Stu Bagby, who has done a splendid job of this.

Alternative Medicine, a book of short stories by Laura Soloman. Flame Books, UK., Box 430, Durham, DH1 1SE, UK.
Laura Solomon was born in New Zealand where she published two novels with Tandem Press (1996/7) and a play 'The Dummy Bride'. She was part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2004. Her work has been published in a number of literary magazines. These are splendid stories, very human and at times quite pungent, direct and well crafted. Her wit is sharp, and her understanding of human nature, profound. I liked 'Piano Lessons/War Stories' even though it does ramble a bit towards the end. Good portraiture. A generous 232 pages well produced, a welcome addition to anybody's library I would say. Try it and see.

Swings and Roundabouts. Poems on Parenthood. Godwit Publishers, NZ. $36.99 Hardback.
Any book of parenthood is going to be welcome anywhere and this one certainly should be. Edited by Emma Neale, and with welcome photos by Mark Smith, this is a carefully presented volume of poems that will certainly be of great interest. I particularly like the work of Ruth Arnison and Joanna Paul, showing a side of them not many would know. Poems of a subject seem to draw out the best of some pretty well known poets familiar to us in different subject matter. Peter Bland's poems are mature and interesting - a sure hand here. And the photos are nothing short of brilliant. I am grateful for the biographical material too, to show who's who etc. Quite often in anthologies like this, it is left out. One has many memories of youth and this brings it all out for me. In 'Birdlings' the late Ruth Pettis shows some very deft technique which should be a lesson to all aspiring poets. I cannot find a single dud poem in all of these and thoroughly recommend this book for everyone to read.
The Lakes of Mars. Poems by Chris Orsman. Auckland University Press, Auckland, New Zealand, $24.99. Pbk.
Chris Orsman has an impressive publishing history. An architect by profession, he has turned to poetry in most of its forms, writing, publishing it (in chosen hand bound editions - Pemmican Press, along with Harry Ricketts and Brendan O'Brien. This book came about after Chris Orsman's visit to the Antarctica with others in 1998, staying on Ross Island there. This slim volume (58 pages) contains many poems that have appeared elsewhere and will be familiar to some. I liked the section entitled 'The Lakes of Mars', which refers more directly to Orsman's stay on Ross Island. Orsman is very observant; detailing everything he can think of to see which expressed the ambience of the place. Always with a reference to the 'normal' world though and not a lot that I can see that expresses any uniqueness. Best showing this is his poem, 'Ascents', which ends “…..a white-out / at the edge of known systems”. Phrases like “a pagan wind” etc. proliferate - the interpolation of human things into a pristine environment. It seems to have been difficult for Orsman not to adopt a travelogue approach to his subject. This is capable and interesting work, but lacks a certain poetic tension and style for my tastes. It is a good read though, no mistake about that!

Calypso, poems by Bob Orr. Auckland University Press, Auckland New Zealand. $24.99.
Bob Orr is an old trouper, indeed - described as one of the 'Big Smoke' generation of poets carefully selected by the late Allan Brunton and others to represent the 70's generation of poets in New Zealand. The late Bernard Gadd collected the rest of them in his anthology, 'Real Fire' in 2003. Bob Orr is a busy poet who loves public performance of his work. This book has been tastefully designed by sculptor Denis O'Connor and is a joy to behold. Right from 'Captain Odysseus' they are good workmanlike poems. I liked 'Blaise Cendrars' a rollicking piece ideal for voice and with some good invention: “Outside on the pavement / a broken hydrant / is / weeping”. These poems seem to encompass all that is good in the real tradition of poetry, clarity, interesting images and a quirkiness of speech that sometimes leaves you gasping. 'Purple Octopus' is a real hilarious mishmash of Greek mythology and real life; showing that if we treat life too seriously, it will get us in the end. Orr addresses his typewriter, calling it a 'mysterious turtle'. His bookcase comes under his scrutiny, too. Various poets in it look at each other sideways perhaps jealously protecting their bit of shelf space. Nicely done, and it doesn't even look like 'writer's block'. And his chair “You were never an easy chair” and so on. And his desk: “you, who were once a tree” (rimu, by the way). 'Jerusalem' describes 'you-know-who' who made it famous, in a lovely fluid reading poem that would wow the listeners I am sure. An in the Greek Café in King's Cross: “where Achilles and Odysseus discussed the Caulfield Cup”. This is just a sample of what's happening here but it should be enough to make you want to go out and buy this book to see for yourself. I hope so. Try 'Song to Rangitoto' first, a real taste of what comes.

Broken Shells & Hope, stories and poems by G. Emil Reutter. Stonegarden.net Publishing, USA.
Some of this work has previously appeared in Southern Ocean Review. The stories are beautifully crafted and his 'portraiture' is splendid, and exact; true to life, sometimes frighteningly so as in 'Fast Food' a tale about a psychopathic murderer in prison who - does it again. Many writers write competent and understandable stories, some with nice endings, but seldom do you get someone who writes memorable ones. G. Emil Reutter is in that category. This book could do with a list of contents, but no matter… it's the work that counts. The poems are a little less sure footed, but the writer manages to get a touch of 'menace' in them anyway, as in 'crickets': “It is when the sky goes dark / people do things; / they think no one else will see”. There's a touch of the master, Bukowski, with some, like 'highway' for instance - however, with Reutter's distinctive style, anyway. 'So they Say' is a mini-essay on America, wars, gas, bombs, soldiers and all the rest of it; well done. More prestigious poets would take pages to describe such things. I liked 'those eyes' a story with cop intrigue and with a surprise ending. A cop thriller with a difference. 'steel doors of the heart' is a curious story yielding a body that nobody cares about or even knows about… and life goes on. Curious stories, with curious twists and lots of human realism. And the woman who gets wedged in the pizza booth? 'the feast' is only a shortie, but inventive. I mention just some, but I can assure you they are all good. Try the book and see. Well worth the look.

Everything Talks. Poems by Sam Sampson. Auckland University Press, Auckland New Zealand. $24.99.
This is Sam Sampson's first book of poems, He was a tutor at Auckland University, and other occupations include musician and music reviewer. Sampson is interested in the way the visual merges with poetry, which is a worthy activity indeed. Simultaneous publication of this book with Shearsman Books, UK, is mentioned. Sampson's flat unassuming style conceals some good craft, very much tied up in the abstract, but very visual, of course. It makes for some unusual expression, though somewhat spare and esoterical. Maybe it would sound nice at a poetry reading, I don't know, but I have difficulty with the abstractions the way they are. Generally though, the words move musically and manage to conjure up many images - particularly of movement and essence. Especially in 'Streamlined Mechanics', about a dolphin - which ends “Cretaceous, blood fill the air-water interface: breathless, we blow . . . . locomotion”. Sampson is intrigued with contraptions, but aren't we all? He makes them come to life - almost have a life of their own. Sampson looks at many human activities - Commerce, wheels/reels, personal particulars: 'Note to Myself'. Much of this poetry is hard to get into as Sampson seems to make new rules as he goes, but it is ultimately satisfying, why not give it a go and see if you agree.

Blowing Feathers. Jo Ann Hansen Rasch, a memoir of her mother's (Karen Y. Hansen) papers and letters. Lakeview Press, Switzerland.
An intriguing story of a pioneer New Zealand family and their children in 253 pages which is proving to be a good seller in Jo Anne's adopted country, Switzerland. 'Blowing Feathers' is Karen Hansen's story. New Zealand is Jo Anne's mother's birthplace, and she got heavily infused in Maori culture with her father's encouragement. Most of the family were non-violent and pacifists who were appalled by the violence in the world. This account spans seven generations and reads as an important documentary of the times past, in New Zealand and elsewhere. This book is a compelling, if not essential read, and may be obtained from www.lulu.com Well worth obtaining a copy.

Transported Stories by Tim Jones, Random House, NZ - a Vintage book. Auckland NZ, $27.99. 272 pages.
Tim Jones uses his considerable experience in politics and as a pacifist to craft these stories, which show great variety and twists and turns in plot and subject matter. A bit of a science buff, he mixes in some sci fi which is never outrageously intrusive or inappropriate but just seems to sit there, naturally. He certainly has style, and copies nobody - he deserves some outstanding success. Tim Jones was born in England and emigrated to Southland in 1962 and his humour is objective, funny and sometimes black. He lives in Wellington with his family and still worries about the environment etc. Well, somebody has to! It would be nice to do a long detailed review of this book, if there was room, but suffice to say that Jones goes from strength to strength and this is a marked advance from 'Extreme Weather Events'; his earlier book. This book is highly recommended, get hold of a copy and enjoy…..

New New Zealand Poets, in Performance. Edited by Jan Kemp and Jack Ross, Auckland University Press, Auckland New Zealand, $44.99.
164 pages of anthology again (third time) of the poets in performance, with two nice cd's to play with the actual poets reading their work. This time there are some South Island poets in there, including Richard Reeve who is making a big name for himself as an establishment poet. Also Jenny Powell-Chalmers writing about Dunedin (good on her) with 'Carnival of Chocolate'. Ideal for reading aloud, and she does read well. Even trivia like “Lunch Box' sounds good read. Nick Ascroft is in there too. New Zealand is bountifully supplied with bright new poets making their mark now. When you have nothing much to write about, you can make even the most mundane sound brilliantly exciting, as in 'The Badder & the Better'. I liked Anne Kennedy's poem: 'I was a feminist in the eighties', ending: “Then a lion came prowling out of the jungle / and ate the feminist all up”. David Howard writes competently and his work sounds good read out, quite entertaining in fact. James Brown is good…. entertaining stuff, especially 'Loneliness', about Elvis Presley. Unpretentious, funny, great. A full book of very competent practitioners of the poetic arts, and nice to listen to, too.

Wide Asleep, Fast Awake. Adrian Manning. Kendra Steiner Editions, Texas, USA. Edition of 73 copies.
More poems from this English poet, who runs www.concretemeatpress.co.uk a forum of poets from UK and else-where. This little booklet has eight pages and is more in the form of a broadsheet with poems similar to each other. It is billed as 'Sound Library Series, Volume 33'. The poems are a bit pensive, and a little negative, too, but well crafted. 09:30 ends “the rain may cease / eventually”. A nice read though.

Indian Shadows. Poems by Isha Wagner. Square One Press. Box 2143, Dunedin, New Zealand. $15.00. Reviewed by Rangi Faith.
Isha Wagner is an experienced traveller and writer. Her poems have been published online in Southern Ocean Review and Blackmail Press. Her book 'Cuban Cocktail' was published by Square One Press in 2007. Forget the travelogues, and the ill-informed information about your next overseas trip - 'Indian Shadows' is a raw and sensitive book of poetry by a perceptive and sympathetic writer who describes her journeying through northern India. Deceptively simple in parts, there is an overlying theme of personal exploration by the writer that easily translates to the reader. The poems effectively capture the vibrancy of cities and towns in India, but also illustrates the wide range of the human condition - from the beggars in 'Mohan' and 'Last Day In Delhi' to the luxuriousness of 'An Unexpected Remark'. The poet is constantly searching for the answers to those big questions about life - 'Bird' is a good example. She is a realist (as she explains in 'Crocodile River') - “Fate has us in his jaws just like that”. As for the answers to those philosophic and religious questions, the poet says - in 'Don't Listen To Me' - “ But don't if you choose /Freewill is yours”. In a comment on the comparative affluence of New Zealand society in 'Walking On The Streets Of Jullundur' she says: “I go to the market to buy silver /aware again of life's lottery /absurdity sits in my head” A poem which bears rereading is 'Indira's Home In New Delhi' - a poem on the assassination of Indira Ghandi.. It has the striking lines “Sixteen petals flew into her body” In a strange way this encapsulates the entire and inexplicable mystery that is India. A small quibble - two poems ('Crocodile River' and 'Don't Listen To Me', were repeated in the book minus the titles).

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